Body structure of a passenger car and especially of a convertible

Abstract

A body structure of a passenger car, and especially of a convertible, features at least one side door on each longitudinal side of the vehicle. The side door, when closed, connects to adjoining fixed pillars via hinges at one end and via a lock assembly at the other end. For improved crash resistance of the body structure of a passenger car, and especially of a convertible, with a rear engine in the event of a head-on collision, a buttress assembly is installed between the rearward rim of the side door and the adjoining lock-side pillar. The buttress assembly effectively holds the side door in its closed position in the event of a head-on collision, while at approximately the level of the buttress assembly, the side door is braced by a hollow strut that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

1. A body structure of a passenger car with a side door on each side of the vehicle, the side door, when closed, connecting to adjoining pillars via hinges at one end and via a door-lock assembly at its other end, the body structure comprising:
 a buttress assembly provided between the rearward rim of the side door and the adjoining lock-side pillar for effective support by holding the side door in its closed position in the event of a head-on collision, and 
 a hollow strut extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle by which the side door is braced at about the level of said buttress assembly. 
 
     
     
       2. The body structure as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the buttress assembly and the hollow strut are positioned as high as possible. 
     
     
       3. The body structure as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, on both the side door and the adjoining lock-side pillar, the buttress assembly is provided with buffer elements that extend at a distance from each other, at a right angle to a vertical plane in the longitudinal center of the vehicle, and come in contact with each other in the event of a head-on collision impacting the vehicle body. 
     
     
       4. The body structure as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein one of the buffer elements which is associated with the lock-side pillar is provided on a separate support block that can be attached to the lock-side pillar. 
     
     
       5. The body structure as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the support block is a forged-steel component. 
     
     
       6. The body structure as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the support block has a tetrahedral contour. 
     
     
       7. The body structure as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein, on a bottom surface of the support block, a projecting alignment pin engages in a matching hole on the lock-side pillar. 
     
     
       8. The body structure as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein a recessed section in the bottom surface of the support block is designed to accommodate a flat gasket. 
     
     
       9. The body structure as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein a socket element on the lock-side pillar features a female thread that accepts a mounting screw serving to hold the support block in position. 
     
     
       10. The body structure as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the support block is provided with a cylindrical bore for accepting the mounting screw, and wherein a head of the mounting screw is concealed by a snap-on cap. 
     
     
       11. The body structure as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein one of the buffer elements is a door-side buffer element composed of a wedge-shaped compensating element and a partial section of a projecting trough-shaped cover plate. 
     
     
       12. The body structure as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the wedge-shaped compensating element is a cast-metal part that is attached to an inside of the cover plate by a double-sided adhesive strip and constitutes a pre-installed component. 
     
     
       13. The body structure as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said component is pre-installed through an opening in an end face of the door, and wherein the cover plate is locally attached to a rim of the opening by clip-on connectors. 
     
     
       14. The body structure as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein at least one of the buffer elements is integrated in unitized fashion into the side door or into the adjoining pillar. 
     
     
       15. The body structure as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hollow strut connects at one end to a forward hinge reinforcement and at its other end to a lock reinforcement of the door. 
     
     
       16. The body structure as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hollow strut is a tubular element. 
     
     
       17. The body structure as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hollow strut is composed of a partial, hat-shaped channel section of an outer door-well reinforcement capped by a hat-shaped edge plate, and wherein said door-well reinforcement and said edge plate are firmly connected on parallel flanges by welding, cementing, or a similar process. 
     
     
       18. The body structure as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said passenger car is a convertible. 
     
     
       19. The body structure as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the hollow strut is positioned next to an equator of the passenger car. 
     
     
       20. The body structure as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein, on both the side door and the adjoining lock-side pillar, the buttress assembly is provided with buffer elements that extend at a distance from each other, at a right angle to a vertical plane in the longitudinal center of the vehicle, and come in contact with each other in the event of a head-on collision impacting the vehicle body.